Driving Data and Vehicle Sensors Help Detect Early Cognitive Decline
FAU researchers analyzed nearly 4,800 real-world trips from older drivers using in-vehicle sensors and cognitive testing.
Study Snapshot: As the population ages 鈥 especially in places like Florida, home to millions of older drivers 鈥 there is a growing opportunity to identify early signs of cognitive decline before safety becomes a concern. Driving is a complex, real-world activity that depends on memory, attention and decision-making, yet most research has relied on simulations or self-reports rather than actual behavior. Scientists are increasingly asking whether subtle changes in how people drive could reveal the earliest stages of pre-mild cognitive impairment and mild cognitive impairment, when intervention may be most effective.
In an ongoing study, FAU researchers analyzed nearly 4,800 real-world trips from 36 older drivers using sensors installed in their vehicles, alongside detailed cognitive testing. The results, published in the journal Sensors, found clear differences in driving patterns: those with early cognitive impairment showed less consistent pedal control, shorter trips and less efficient speed regulation, while cognitively unimpaired drivers demonstrated steadier control, higher average speeds and more responsive braking. Importantly, it was the combination of these behaviors 鈥 not any single action 鈥 that most effectively distinguished the groups, highlighting the potential for everyday driving data to serve as an early warning sign of cognitive decline.
With more older adults staying behind the wheel longer than ever, understanding how early cognitive changes affect driving has become increasingly important. In the United States, there are more than 50 million licensed drivers age 65 and older, including roughly 5 million in Florida 鈥 one of the highest concentrations in the country. As this population grows, so does the need for simple, real-world ways to detect early cognitive decline before it leads to safety risks.
As interest in early cognitive decline grows, researchers are exploring whether subtle changes in everyday driving can signal pre-mild cognitive impairment (Pre-MCI) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Early evidence suggests these changes may appear before clear clinical symptoms, making driving a potential actual marker of early decline.
However, research on how early cognitive decline affects driving is still developing, with many unanswered questions. Importantly, few studies have combined objective, continuous daily driving data with comprehensive cognitive assessments.
To address these gaps, 探花视频 researchers examined whether subtle changes in everyday driving behavior can signal the presence of pre-MCI or MCI, and which specific driving patterns are most useful in identifying these early changes.
As part of an ongoing study, the team installed sensors in the vehicles of older adults and tracked their driving over three years. Developed by FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science researchers, the in-vehicle sensor network uses commercially available hardware and software to reduce development time, risk and cost. The system is simple and compact, with minimal wiring and sensors to remain unobtrusive, and includes two units: one for telematics data and one for video.
For the study, researchers compared trip-level driving data between cognitively unimpaired drivers and those with pre-MCI or MCI. Each recorded trip represented a single driving episode and included measures such as distance travelled, trip duration, average and maximum speed, engine performance, throttle patterns, fuel level and counts of driving events like hard braking, rapid acceleration and sharp turns.
The analysis combined recorded telematics and accelerometer data with neuropsychological testing. Participants underwent detailed cognitive assessments every three months up to three years.
Analysis of the nearly 4,800 driving trips revealed subtle changes in how older adults drive can signal early cognitive decline. Published in the journal , the study shows that it鈥檚 not any single behavior, but the overall driving pattern, that reveals these early warning signs.
Drivers with pre-MCI or MCI tended to have less consistent control of the gas pedal, took shorter or more fragmented trips, and showed signs of less efficient speed regulation. In contrast, cognitively unimpaired drivers were more likely to drive at higher average speeds, brake more frequently when needed, and maintained steadier, more controlled use of the accelerator 鈥 patterns that suggest greater confidence and responsiveness on the road.
鈥淲hat makes these findings especially compelling is how clearly the combined driving patterns separated the two groups,鈥 said Ruth Tappen, Ed.D., senior author, professor and eminent scholar in FAU鈥檚 Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and a member of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute. 鈥淲hen all the behaviors were analyzed together, the model was highly accurate at distinguishing cognitively unimpaired drivers from those with early impairment. Everyday driving habits 鈥 captured passively through in-car sensors 鈥 may offer a powerful new way to detect subtle cognitive changes long before they become obvious.鈥
Study co-authors are David Newman, Ph.D., professor and statistician, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing; Monica Roselli, Ph.D., professor and associate chair of psychology, and Johsua Coniff, a Ph.D. student of neuropsychology, both within FAU鈥檚 Charles E. Schmidt College of Science; Subhosit Ray, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing; Sonia Moshfeghi, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in FAU鈥檚 Sensing Institute (I-SENSE); Jinwoo Jang, Ph.D., an associate professor in FAU鈥檚 College of Engineering and Computer Science and an I-SENSE fellow; KwangSoo Yang, Ph.D., an associate professor; and Borko Furht, Ph.D., a professor and director of the NSF Research Center, both with FAU鈥檚 College of Engineering and Computer Science.
This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, awarded to Tappen. 聽
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